LOGAN, Utah — In a game in which there was little for the University of Hawai'i to cling to that wasn't painful, senior linebacker Adam Leonard was one of the exceptions.

Leonard, playing at almost full strength for the first time in months, had eight tackles, including one for a loss, in the Warriors' 30-14 loss to Utah State yesterday.

"I think he's finally back to being himself," head coach Greg McMackin said.

Leonard had been bothered by hamstring and quad injuries and a broken finger in recent games, playing at what coaches said was 75 to 80 percent.

Leonard's stop of running back Ronald Scott for no gain in the third quarter to force a third-and-7 situation and ability to run down ballcarriers were characteristic of the play that earned him All-Western Athletic Conference honors last year.

"You can tell when he's feeling like his old self," McMackin said.

Asked when was the last time he was in full health, Leonard said, "Florida (the season opener)."

But, noted Leonard, "it is hard to feel good when we lose. Winning, that's what it is all about."

STARTING QB TBA

The quarterback shuffle will apparently continue for the time being.

McMackin yesterday declined to name a starter at the position for Saturday's game at New Mexico State, pending a revelation on video.

"They both did some good things," McMackin said of Greg Alexander and Inoke Funaki. "I want to look at the film."

Alexander started and completed 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown and no interceptions.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior nearly led the Warriors in rushing, carrying nine times for 57 yards and his first rushing touchdown, a 9-yarder for UH's only second-half points.

Funaki completed 6 of 10 passes for 47 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. He ran five times for 8 yards.

"I've got to watch a lot of film and see just what's going on," McMackin said.

THE RUNNING CLOCK

McMackin said he was bothered by the operation of the clock that appeared, at several points, to run time off unnecessarily, including following the Warriors' fourth-quarter touchdown.

He was so upset that, with 7 minutes to play and UH trailing, 20-14, McMackin conferenced with the referee, linesman and field judge for nearly a minute on the field.

"I felt like we were losing time off the clock," McMackin said. "I thought we lost (in the course of the game) a lot (of time)."

McMackin said he was told the officials said, "we couldn't go (put it) back on."

"Had we scored on that kickoff return (by Malcolm Lane, who returned it 91 yards to the USU 5 before fumbling), it (the lost time) could have made a big difference," McMackin said.